A look at the Orioles' season series against Texas Rangers

Gene Sweeney Jr., Baltimore Sun

As Dan Connolly wrote, this game could be called the Great Boston Marathon Hangover. A day after their memorable 17-inning win at Fenway Park -- in which Chris Davis picked up the win in relief -- the Orioles came out flat and were flattened by the Rangers. Texas piled up 19 hits, and O's starter Brian Matusz was shelled for seven runs on 10 hits and two walks in five-plus innings. The Rangers' unlikely offensive hero was former Orioles' first-round pick Brandon Snyder, whom the club sent to Texas this offseason for cash considerations. Snyder's two-run single in the second gave the Rangers their first lead, and he also hit a three-run homer in the sixth against Matusz. "No one here is going to make excuses, they've got a good lineup it's no secret," Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy said after the game. "Were we tired? Possibly. Possibly. I mean, we played six hours and seven minutes yesterday then [had] a flight back. I'm not saying that's what happened, [that] we were tired, but maybe."

As Dan Connolly wrote, this game could be called the Great Boston Marathon Hangover. A day after their memorable 17-inning win at Fenway Park -- in which Chris Davis picked up the win in relief -- the Orioles came out flat and were flattened by the Rangers. Texas piled up 19 hits, and O's starter Brian Matusz was shelled for seven runs on 10 hits and two walks in five-plus innings. The Rangers' unlikely offensive hero was former Orioles' first-round pick Brandon Snyder, whom the club sent to Texas this offseason for cash considerations. Snyder's two-run single in the second gave the Rangers their first lead, and he also hit a three-run homer in the sixth against Matusz. "No one here is going to make excuses, they've got a good lineup it's no secret," Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy said after the game. "Were we tired? Possibly. Possibly. I mean, we played six hours and seven minutes yesterday then [had] a flight back. I'm not saying that's what happened, [that] we were tired, but maybe." (Gene Sweeney Jr., Baltimore Sun)

Following a postponement on May 9, the Orioles made some history in the first game of a doubleheader the next day. Ryan Flaherty, J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis opened the bottom of the first inning with home runs off Colby Lewis, becoming the first American league team to ever do that. Hardy, coincidentally, had been part of the Milwaukee Brewers team that last completed that feat in 2007. Adam Jones also homered in the game, and Wei-Yin Chen improved to 3-0, allowing two runs and six hits in 7 2/3 innings, striking out five and walking one. "Definitely this is my best outing of this year so far," Chen said through interpreter Tim Lin. "I'm lucky because this is a really tough lineup for me and I think because I'm a new guy, they don't know me that much but on the other hand, I felt really, really good today and I had good command."

Following a postponement on May 9, the Orioles made some history in the first game of a doubleheader the next day. Ryan Flaherty, J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis opened the bottom of the first inning with home runs off Colby Lewis, becoming the first American league team to ever do that. Hardy, coincidentally, had been part of the Milwaukee Brewers team that last completed that feat in 2007. Adam Jones also homered in the game, and Wei-Yin Chen improved to 3-0, allowing two runs and six hits in 7 2/3 innings, striking out five and walking one. "Definitely this is my best outing of this year so far," Chen said through interpreter Tim Lin. "I'm lucky because this is a really tough lineup for me and I think because I'm a new guy, they don't know me that much but on the other hand, I felt really, really good today and I had good command." (Gene Sweeney Jr., Baltimore Sun)

The Orioles play their first postseason game in 15 years Friday, but it won't be an easy matchup. In the first ever American League wild-card game, the O's face a Texas Rangers team that beat them in 5 of 7 meetings in the regular season, outscoring them 56-24. Here's a game-by-game look at the teams' season series. -- David Selig